Is Halion 6 better overall value than Omnisphere 2.6?

[v1o]

As you know there is no demo for Omnisphere. Halion is cheaper to buy both new or used. What I am wondering about the quality and comprehensiveness of Halion 6's included instruments vs Omnisphere? The granular and wavetable engines in Halion look really interesting, is Omnisphere comparable on that front? How do they compare with bread and butter sounds like horns, piano and strings?

[wagtunes]

I find Omnisphere's sound engine, samples and overall package better suited for TV and film scoring. I find HALion 6 more suitable for basic synth stuff. I find very little overlap between the two. So basically what it's going to come down to is what are you looking to get out of the instrument you buy.

Personally, I use Omnisphere a lot more than I use HALion 6. I find it easier to work with. Of course, I've also owned it a lot longer as it's one of the first things I bought 6 years ago. HALion 6 I've only owned since 2017 when I bought Absolute 3.

I will say this much, HALion's granular engine is much more sophisticated than Omnisphere's. So if that is a main selling point, there you go. One other thing, HALion covers more ground overall than Omnisphere, which has no pianos or decent drums. HALion 6 covers the basics much better.

Hope this helps.

[v1o]

Yeah. Sounds like there is no overlap. Omnisphere has always come across to me as a soundscape machine. It was called Atmosphere early in its life and was marketed for pads and atmospheric sounds. But what I heard was that the synth engine has made big leaps in recent years and it's much more well rounded.

[Dirtgrain]

I don't have Omnisphere, but I want to point out that Halion 6 is not quick to deal with. Halion Sonic 3, which comes with it is quick to use--but it's a bunch of presets with tweakable parameters.

With Halion 6, the GUI is designed more for someone to record instruments/sounds to make samples, then making instruments with the recorded material with their own GUIs. And some instruments/synths are for sale for it (I think they typically run in Halion Sonic).

To use Halion 6 as a synth you create a program, drag that or load that into the left-side column slot one. Then you do stuff with pull-down menu options to choose what type of mode to use (granular/sample/wavetable/oscillator), creating "zones." Adding effects is also with pull-down menu. There are GUIs for the modes that take a bit of learning, as well. It's a bit tedious to get started, with not so great flow, but creating templates can speed up getting to business.

I've read that digging deep into the powerful Omnisphere is something you have to take some time to learn as it is unique. Maybe this compares with the Halion 6 experience.

[BBFG#]

Each is dependant on the hands that use them. There is something in the Spectrasonics sampling method though, that once you hear it, can never be unheard...
(Which is also why it's ready to go for tv, film and radio.)
My dessert island plugin is HALion. (And can equally work as well for those mediums.)
YMMV.

[Googly Smythe]

...Halion Sonic 3, which comes with it is quick to use--but it's a bunch of presets with tweakable parameters.
...

I would dispute this. HALion Sonic is a fully-fledged synth, basically HALion without the sampling capability.
Maybe you're thinking of the giveaway SE version?

As for choice, it comes down to this: Do you prefer loads of presets? Go for Omnisphere. Otherwise go for HALion. It's much more versatile, and comes with a resizable, modular interface that you can set up the way you like. With the money you save, but the Steinberg expansions.

[zvenx]

For bread and butter sounds Halion 6 all the way.
For everything else... Omnisphere.

Do you like the workflow of Halion? If you do then it may be for you.
I do not like it at all... so even though I have Halion 6 etc, I use it for maybe two sounds total (two clav sounds) (Kontakt Libraries mostly take care of my piano, horns and string needs).
rsp

[SoundPorn]

Omnisphere is certainly not a bread and butter synth, like there's not even one acoustic piano within the 50 million gigs it comes with. It's the alternative to bread and butter. Omnisphere better comparison would be Falcon.

[damayor]

Tough one i have both. What it comes down to is what kind of music do you make. I do rap and halion 6 is a must have. Now I rarely use omnisphere. But when i need her she comes through. I have so many presets I bought that I get lost in just skimming presets. I have some i never even installed yet. However, with halion sonic I load and I'm where I need to be instantly. It's a double edged sword with omni enough presets to create anything, but too many that you can't find shit.

[fmr]

I don't own Omnisphere 2, but I would say that it isn't a real competitor to HALion. This is because, as others already said, HALion is much more versatile, and allows you to do much more. And it's even cheaper.

The only one that IMO competes with HALion is Falcon. Both are much more advanced than Omnisphere.

[felis]

I'm happy enough with Halion that I never even considered Omnisphere.
I see them as covering two very different areas though.

[chk071]

If the sound synthesis part of HALion is exactly the same as Retrologue 2 and Padhop, as has been suggested often here, then I'm not super excited about that aspect of it. It's good, but nothing special. I guess both HALion and Omnisphere are rather the sum of its part. They're just massive feature monsters, which can do a LOT. And come with a massive library as well.

I don't really think you will get a conclusive answer on your question which one is better. I would imagine that it's different for everyone, and that more input is needed about what YOU want to go for with these plugins.

[fmr]

If the sound synthesis part of HALion is exactly the same as Retrologue 2 and Padhop, as has been suggested often here, then I'm not super excited about that aspect of it. It's good, but nothing special.

It has those (granular engine is more advanced than Padshop), but also wavetable synthesis (really advanced wavetable synthesis, with wavetable editing and all that), resynthesis and sample synthesis. It's MUCH MORE than the sum of Retrologue and Padshop. What it really does not, for the moment, is additive (just resynthesis), FM and modeling synthesis (although it has a kind of modeling electromagnetic organ, which may be regarded as a kind of additive).

I guess both HALion and Omnisphere are rather the sum of its part. They're just massive feature monsters, which can do a LOT. And come with a massive library as well.

I don't really think you will get a conclusive answer on your question which one is better. I would imagine that it's different for everyone, and that more input is needed about what YOU want to go for with these plugins.

I agree...

[JiggSaw]

I mean... if you're talking about bread and butter sounds, Halion beats Omnisphere hands down. However, I use Omnisphere all the time and rarely even open Halion. It's simply because I hate the workflow. There's no way to audition or autoload presets in Halion. It might not bother some people... but that absolutely wrecks the way I work. Having to fully load each preset, then press some keys before I even know what the preset sounds like is horrible.

[zvenx]

I don't own Omnisphere 2, but I would say that it isn't a real competitor to HALion. This is because, as others already said, HALion is much more versatile, and allows you to do much more. And it's even cheaper.

The only one that IMO competes with HALion is Falcon. Both are much more advanced than Omnisphere.

But neither sound nearly as good as Omnisphere (to my ears anyway), but then again you also like the sound of Pigments if I recall.

If the OP has a friend who has omnisphere that they can go to their place and play with it I think would be the best.
Omnisphere is really my desert island synth.
ymmv
rsp